Having finished and thoroughly enjoyed Grant Morrison's very personalised account of superhero history in Supergods, my attention has been turned to Alan Moore - Storyteller by Gary Spencer Millidge.
This is a great looking book split into several chapters and each chapter broken down into themes or comic titles upon which Alan Moore has cast his pen. It is mostly chronolgical so we begin with Moore's childhood, his emergence into comics via the local newspaper and music magazines, through to 2000AD and the so-called 'British Invasion' of comics talent to America which hasn't stopped since.
It is an easily digestavle book to read. I could spend hours (and probably have) poring over the samples of art from his various works, quite a few I am familiar with (Halo Jones, Swamp-Thing, Watchmen, V for Vendetta and even Maxwell the Magic Cat) through to popular titles which for one reason or another have passed me by (Promethea, Vigilante, The Lost Girls and Supreme). Even less well-known works find a place here including a long-time favourite of mine, Brought to Light, a secret history of the C.I.A.
The book is almost a bible to Moore's incredible output and his cultural influence which extends well beyond comics. The breakdown of titles though are largely summaries of the content with occasional quotes from comic luminaries. Most of the quotes from Alan Moore himself seem to have come straight from The Mindscape of Alan Moore, a DVD released by Snakedance Films some years back. So for afficianados, there probably isn't going to be much new in this book. It is nevertheless a nicely produced book, well-written and illustrated and a nice compendium of the work produced by a modern master. Less personal than Grant Morrison's book but worth having if you're fan. And if you're not an Alan Moore fan then you might be after reading this.
Now it's about time I took a look at Promethea and see what all the fuss has been about...
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